Wing Chun Fut Kung Fu: How Do You Know When It Is Right?

Kung fu takes a lot of discipline. We learn a lot of different movements and techniques. As we advance on our skill, the techniques become more complicated and dependent on details. The smallest detail is the difference between not getting hit and getting knocked out. Knowing the importance of this attention to detail, practicing your techniques consistently is the only way to achieve a skill so high that the moves happen without thought. This is due to muscle memory.

The question is how do you know you are practicing correctly? This is a question I continually ask myself. You first learn a move one of two ways, either by hands on application or following along in a mirror. It is helpful if you learn from a bunch of people because everyone will have their own insight about the move. I feel like I pick some new detail up each time I go to Kung Fu.

Knowing that you are doing it right is a tricky matter. It is not enough to see it. You have to let a higher rank perform it on you in combat. In our school, my master has a fight a lot in class. However, when we fight, he stresses to not let competition rule our mindset. If we do, then our minds will race and we will have little memory of the fight. Now if you go into the fight ready to learn, then you can see what your opponent is doing and take a mental snapshot of his techniques. As a bonus, my master touches hands with instructors and black belts to help them advance in their skill. By taking mental snapshots, we can keep a memory of what moves are supposed to be like even if we don't spar with others for long periods of time.